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Overview

This hard-hitting, socially conscious drama, the sort of story that Warner Bros. made their hallmark in the 1930s, concerns a factory worker named Frank Taylor (Humphrey Bogart), who is convinced that a big promotion is right around the corner for him. However, the promotion goes to a harder-working Polish immigrant named Joe Dombrowski (Henry Brandon). Angry and upset, Frank is approached by members of a secret organization called the Black Legion, who believe in "America for Americans" and want to drive away immigrants and racial minorities through violent means. Wearing black robes, Frank and the other members of the Legion go on a torchlight raid, driving Dombrowski and his family from their home. With Dombrowski gone from the plant, Frank gets the job, which means more money and a higher standard of living for him and his family. But his outlaw activities with the Legion begin taking up more of his time (and his money, as they make a healthy profit selling robes, weapons, and racist geegaws to their membership), which drives a wedge between Frank and his wife Ruth (Erin O'Brien-Moore). Frank begins drinking and starts slapping Ruth around; she leaves him, and Frank takes up with a floozie named Pearl (Helen Flint). Ed (Dick Foran), a good friend of Frank's, sees that his buddy is drinking too much and ruining his life, so he tries to step in and express his concern. His tongue loosened by alcohol, Frank tells Ed about his secret life with the violent Legion; the next morning, Frank is afraid that Ed might inform on him to the police, so he tells the Legion leadership what has happened. They subsequently order Ed to be captured and executed. While Warner Bros. attempted to avoid the wrath of Black Legion and Ku Klux Klan members by stating that all characters and institutions were entirely fictional, Black Legion was still a brave attack on hate groups, given that lynchings were not uncommon in parts of the United States in the mid-1930s.

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Editorial Reviews

Archie Mayo's Depression-era melodrama, like the earlier Black Terror (1936), was based on the murder of a WPA worker in Michigan by the designated executioner of a hate group known as the Black Legion. Like many of the groups which fed on the racism and xenophobia that grew with the period's desperate conditions, the Legion combined mob-like extortion tactics with those of Multi-Level Marketing, profiting from the sales of Legion paraphernalia to its membership. Aside from focusing on a subject which was daring at the time, the film is basically a stock melodrama, similar to the gangster pictures Warner was churning out by the dozen. Still, Humphrey Bogart gives the film some electricity, his vaguely aggrieved persona well-suited to the part of the disgruntled blue-collar worker; when he's passed over for a promotion, one sees shades of the paranoia of Fred C. Dobbs. While the film's treatment of this subject may now be somewhat dated, its basic take on the way in which these groups play on the self-hatred of its members remains accurate. After the film was released, Warner Bros. was sued by the Ku Kux Klan for patent infringement, claiming the film had stolen their insignia for that of its "fictional" group.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

A precursor to the holocaust, this movie is terrifying and inspiring. To understand mankind and our history, see this film!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Guest

More than 1 year ago

This is an incredible movie. Humphrey Bogart gives a terrific performance as the poor slob who only comes to an understanding of his actions only after they have impacted his life to such a degree that he can't recover. However, do not believe the review that accompanies this film-- the Black Legion was not a fictional construct. There truly was a Black Legion in the 1930's associated with the northern auto industry which preyed upon Jews, Catholics, African Americans, as well as immigrants. This film only deals with the immigrants, but the targets were wide ranging. This film is not only an excellent example of Bogart's early work, but also of the social concience that Warner Brothers Films displayed throughout the thirties.